1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward the field of replicating (or synchronizing) information from a host system where the information is normally stored to a mobile data communication device. More specifically, the system and method of the present invention provide an event-driven redirection computer program (xe2x80x9credirector programxe2x80x9d) operating at the host system, which, upon sensing a particular user-defined event has occurred, redirects user-selected data items from the host system to the user""s mobile data communication device. Upon receiving this redirected information at their mobile device, the user can then organize this data into hierarchies, commonly known as folders, and may also perform various other operations on the redirected data. These organizational and other operations are then synchronized back to the original host system for replication. The invention also provides for the synchronization of a storage representation model for storing the data in a hierarchy of folders at the host system and the mobile device.
Instead of warehousing (or storing) the user""s data items at the host system and then xe2x80x9csynchronizingxe2x80x9d the mobile data communication device to data items stored at the host system when the mobile device requests that such items of information be communicated to it, the present invention employs a xe2x80x9cpushxe2x80x9d paradigm that continuously packages and retransmits the user-selected items of information to the mobile data communication device in response to a triggering event detected at the host system. Wireless mobile data communications devices, especially those that can return a confirmation signal to the host that the pushed data has been received are especially well suited for this type of push paradigm.
Once the information is pushed to the device, the user can then read the information and xe2x80x98filexe2x80x99 the information into its appropriate folder based on the contents of the information. Alternatively, the user can perform some other operation on the information. These operations, as well as the user""s folder hierarchy for storing information at the mobile device, are then replicated back (synchronized) to the host system, which then automatically organizes the user""s information into the same folder hierarchies (or replicates the other operations performed at the mobile device), thus saving the user from doing the action a second time at the host system. The synchronization of the message operations can be carried in real-time as the operations are being executed at the mobile device, or in a batch process when the mobile device is electrically coupled to the host system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Present systems and methods for replicating information from a host system to a user""s mobile data communication device are typically xe2x80x9csynchronizationxe2x80x9d systems in which the user""s data items are warehoused (or stored) at the host system for an indefinite period of time and then transmitted in bulk only in response to a user request. In these types of systems and methods, when replication of the warehoused data items to the mobile device is desired, the user typically places the mobile device in an interface cradle that is electrically connected to the host system via some form of local, dedicated communication, such as a serial cable or an infrared or other type of wireless link. Alternatively, the user might have to perform a special xe2x80x98connectionxe2x80x99 action every so often that will synchronous all the pending items required by the user, provided they remember. Software executing on the mobile data communication device then transmits commands via the local communications link or a network link to the host system to cause the host to begin transmitting the user""s data items for storage in a memory bank of the mobile device. In these synchronization schemes, the mobile unit xe2x80x9cpullsxe2x80x9d the warehoused information from the host system in a batch each time the user desires to replicate information between the two devices. Therefore, the two systems (host and mobile) only maintain the same data items after a user-initiated command sequence that causes the mobile device to download the data items from the host system.
Another major problem with the current pull-based systems is that the user must deal with the information all over again once the user returns to his office and accesses the information store at the host system. This situation occurs because the average user can get hundreds of pieces of electronic information a day. This is very common in e-mail systems where internal company mail, and external Internet mail, merge into one common mailbox creating a multitude of sources all merged into one location. As a result, once the user returns to their office, even though they may have seen and read the mail while traveling on their mobile device, they still have to re-read the messages and then organize the information into folders based upon the content. This results in user frustration, as the mobile device has not solved the problem of saving them time when the user returns to his office and accesses the information store at the host system.
A general problem with these known synchronization systems is that the only time that the user data items are replicated between the host system and the mobile data communication device is when the user commands the mobile device to download or pull the user data from the host system. Five minutes later a new message could be sent to the user, but the user would not receive that message until the next time the user fetches the user data items. Thus, a user may fail to respond to an emergency update or message because the user only periodically synchronizes the system, such as once per day.
Other problems with these systems include: (1) the amount of data to be reconciled between the host and the mobile device can become large if the user does not xe2x80x9csynchronizexe2x80x9d on a daily or hourly basis, leading to bandwidth difficulties, particularly when the mobile device is communicating via a wireless packet-switched network; (2) reconciling large amounts of data, as can accrue in these batch-mode synchronization systems, can require a great deal of communication between the host and the mobile device, thus leading to a more complex, costly and energy-inefficient system; and (3) the need to deal with the information a second time once the user returns to the office and accesses the information store at the host system. A more automated, continuous, efficient and reliable system of ensuring that user data items are replicated (synchronized) at the user""s mobile device is therefore needed.
A system and method of pushing user-selected data items from a host system to a user""s mobile data communication device upon detecting the occurrence of one or more user-defined event triggers is provided. The user may then move (or file) the data items to a particular folder within a folder hierarchy stored in the mobile data communication device, or may execute some other system operation on the data item. Software operating at the mobile device and the host system then synchronizes the folder hierarchy of the mobile device with a folder hierarchy of the host system, and any actions executed on the data items at the mobile device are then automatically replicated on the same data items stored at the host system, thus eliminating the need for the user to manually replicate actions at the host system that have been executed at the mobile data communication device.
As used in this application, the term host system refers to the computer where the redirector software is operating. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the host system is a user""s desktop PC, although, alternatively, the host system could be a network server connected to the user""s PC via a local-area network (xe2x80x9cLANxe2x80x9d), or could be any other system that is in communication with the user""s desktop PC.
A redirector program operating at the host system enables the user to redirect or mirror certain user-selected data items (or parts of data items) from the host system to the user""s mobile data communication device upon detecting that one or more user-defined triggering events has occurred. Once the data items are redirected to the user""s mobile data communication device, the user may then organize and sort the items into folder hierarchies that are replicated at the host system. Once the user acts upon the redirected data items, such as by reading, organizing, replying or forwarding the data item from the mobile data communication device, the host system is then informed of these actions and automatically reflects the changes on the corresponding data item stored at the host system.
Operating at the host system are various sub-systems that can be configured to create triggering events, such as a screen saver sub-system or a keyboard sub-system, as well as sub-systems for repackaging the user""s data items for transparent delivery to the mobile data device, such as a TCP/IP sub-system or one or more E-Mail sub-systems. Other sub-systems for creating triggering events and repackaging the user""s data items could also be present at the host system. The host system also includes a primary memory store where the user""s data items are normally stored with related information as to which folder the message might have originally been placed into.
Using the redirector program, the user can select certain data items for redirection, such as E-mail messages, calendar events, meeting notifications, address entries, journal entries, personal reminders, etc. The user can also select which folders get redirected to the mobile device. For example, the user may select that only data items in the Inbox and those in the company X folder shall be sent to the device. Having selected the data items for redirection, the user can then configure one or more event triggers to be sensed by the redirector program to initiate redirection of the user data items. These user-defined trigger points (or event triggers) include external events, internal events and networked events.
Examples of external events include: receiving a message from the user""s mobile data communication device to begin redirection; receiving a similar message from some external computer; sensing that the user is no longer in the vicinity of the host system; or any other event that is external to the host system. Internal events could be a calendar alarm, screen saver activation, keyboard timeout, programmable timer, or any other user-defined event that is internal to the host system. Networked events are user-defined messages that are transmitted to the host system from another computer coupled to the host system via a network to initiate redirection. These are just some of the examples of the types of user-defined events that can trigger the redirector program to push data items from the host to the mobile device.
In addition to the functionality noted above, the redirector program provides a set of software-implemented control functions for determining the type of mobile data communication device and its address, for programming a preferred list of message types or folder names that are to be redirected, and for determining whether the mobile device can receive and process certain types of message attachments, such as word processor or voice attachments. The determination of whether a particular mobile device can receive and process attachments is initially configured by the user of that mobile device at the host system. This configuration can then be altered on a global or per message basis by transmitting a command message from the mobile device to the host system. If the redirector is configured so that the mobile data device cannot receive and process word processor or voice attachments, then the redirector routes these attachments to an external machine that is compatible with the particular attachment, such as a networked printer or fax machine or telephone. Other types of attachments could be redirected to other types of external machines in a similar fashion, depending upon the capabilities of the mobile device. For example, if a user is traveling and receives a message with an attachment that the user""s mobile device can process or display, the user may from a mobile communications device send a command message to the host system indicating that that attachment is to be sent to a fax machine at a hotel where the user will be spending the evening. This enables the user to receive important E-mail attachments as long as the host system is provided with sufficient information about the destination where the attachment is to be forwarded.
Once an event has triggered redirection of the user data items, the host system then repackages these items in a manner that is transparent to the mobile data communication device, so that information on the mobile device appears similar to information on the user""s host system. In additional to repackaging the information itself, the repackaging may also include properties about the message. This might include the folder from which the message has been detected and pushed to the device. The preferred repackaging method includes wrapping the user data items in an E-mail envelope that corresponds to the address of the mobile data communication device, although, alternatively, other repackaging methods could be used with the present invention, such as special-purpose TCP/IP wrapping techniques, or other methods of wrapping the user selected data items. The repackaging preferably results in E-mail messages appearing to come from the host system even though they are initiated at the mobile device, thus enabling the user to appear to have a single E-mail address, such that the recipients of messages sent from the mobile communications device do not know where the user was physically located when the message was first sent. The repackaging also permits both messages to the mobile device and sent from the mobile device to be encrypted and decrypted as well as compressed and decompressed.
In an alternative system and method, the redirector program executes on a network server, and the server is programmed to detect numerous redirection event triggers over the network from multiple user desktop computers coupled to the server via a LAN. The server can receive internal event triggers from each of the user desktops via the network, and can also receive external event triggers, such as messages from the users"" mobile data communication devices. In response to receiving one of these triggers, the server redirects the user""s data items to the proper mobile data communication device. The user data items and addressing information for a particular mobile device can be stored at the server or at the user""s PC. Using this alternative configuration, one redirector program can serve a plurality of users. This alternative configuration could also include an internet- or intranet-based redirector program that could be accessible through a secure webpage or other user interface. The redirector program could be located on an Internet Service Provider""s system and accessible only through the Internet.
In another alternative configuration of the present invention, a redirector program operates at both the host system and at the user""s mobile data communication device. In this configuration, the user""s mobile device operates similarly to the host system described below, and is configured in a similar fashion to push certain user-selected data items from the mobile device to the user""s host system (or some other computer) upon detecting an event trigger at the mobile device. This configuration provides two-way pushing of information from the host to the mobile device and from the mobile device to the host.
Wireless mobile data communications devices, especially those that can return a confirmation signal to the host that the pushed data has been received, are especially well suited for this type of push paradigm. It is also possible for the mobile data communications device to include additional information with the confirmation signal, including, any one or more of the following actions, the fact that the message: has been read (the information associated therewith is a xe2x80x9cread signalxe2x80x9d); has been filed in a specific folder (the information associated therewith is a xe2x80x9cfiled signalxe2x80x9d); has been forwarded to another recipient (the information associated therewith is a xe2x80x9cforward signalxe2x80x9d); or, has been replied to (the information associated therewith is a xe2x80x9creply signalxe2x80x9d). These actions can then be synchronized with the host system, thus eliminating the need for the user to perform these actions a second time. The action signals may advantageously be used to indicate the state of the message at the mobile.
One aspect of the invention, therefore, provides a method of indicating at the host system the state of the message at the mobile communications device. The steps of this method preferably include: (A) altering the state of a first message at the mobile communications device thereby creating an altered state; (B) forwarding a status signal to the host system; and, (C) changing at the host system a first message status icon based on the altered state at the mobile communications device. Therefore, according to one aspect of the invention, the message status icon change indicates an altered state of the message at the mobile communication device.
One aspect of the invention, therefore, provides a method of indicating at the host system the state of the message at the mobile communications device. The steps of this method preferably include: (A) redirecting a first message from the host system to the mobile communications device, wherein the first message at the host system has a first message status icon; (B) receiving the redirected first message from the host system at the mobile communications device; (C) altering the state of the first message at the mobile communications device thereby creating an altered state; (D) forwarding a status signal to the host system; and, (E) changing at the host system the first message status icon based on the action taken at the mobile communications device.
One aspect of the invention provides a method of indicating at a first device, via the host system, the state of the message at the mobile communications device. The steps of this method preferably include: (A) redirecting a first message from the host system to the mobile communications device, wherein the first message at the host system has a first message status icon; (B) receiving the redirected first message from the host system at the mobile communications device; (C) altering the state of the first message at the mobile communications device thereby creating an altered state; (D) forwarding a status signal to the host system; and, (E) changing at the host system the first message status icon based on the action taken at the mobile communications device; and (F) forwarding a read-receipt to a read-receipt requester""s device.
One aspect of the invention provides a method of synchronizing messages between a first system and a second system. The steps of this method preferably include: (A) retrieving a first folder hierarchy from the first system; (B) retrieving a second folder hierarchy from the second system; (C) synchronizing the second folder hierarchy to the first folder hierarchy; (D) retrieving a first plurality of messages from the first system, the first plurality of messages being stored in folders within the first folder hierarchy; (E) retrieving a second plurality of messages from the second system, the second plurality of messages being stored in folders within the second folder hierarchy; (F) comparing the first plurality of messages to the second plurality of messages to identify common messages stored in both the first and second folder hierarchies; (G) determining whether any of the common messages are stored in different folders in the first and second folder hierarchies; and (H) if a common message is located in different folders of the first and second folder hierarchies, then synchronizing the messages by moving the common message to a new folder within the first folder hierarchy or by moving the common message to a new folder within the second folder hierarchy.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method of synchronizing messages stored in a folder hierarchy at a host system and a corresponding folder hierarchy at a mobile data communication device. This method preferably includes the following steps: (A)receiving a message at the host system; (B) storing the message in a first folder of the folder hierarchy at the host system; (C) transmitting the message to the mobile data communication device; (D) storing the message in a first folder of the folder hierarchy at the mobile data communication device; (E) moving the message from the first folder to a second folder at the mobile data communication device; (F) coupling the mobile data communication device to the host system; (G) detecting that the message has been moved to the second folder at the mobile data communication device; and (H) in response to the detection step, moving the message from the first folder at the host system to a second folder of the folder hierarchy at the host system that corresponds to the second folder of the folder hierarchy at the mobile data communication device.
Still another aspect of the invention provides a method of synchronizing messages stored in a folder hierarchy at a host system and a corresponding folder hierarchy at a mobile data communication device, comprising the steps of: (A) receiving a message at the host system; (B) storing the message in a first folder of the folder hierarchy at the host system; (C) transmitting the message to the mobile data communication device; (D) storing the message in a first folder of the folder hierarchy at the mobile data communication device; (E) moving the message from the first folder to a second folder at the mobile data communication device; (F) transmitting a move message from the mobile data communication device to the host system indicating that the message has been moved to the second folder at the mobile data communication device; and (G) receiving the move message at the host system and moving the message stored in the first folder at the host system to a second folder at the host system that corresponds to the second folder at the mobile data communication device.
Yet another aspect of the invention provides a method of synchronizing a first device to a second device, comprising the steps of: (A) providing a first folder hierarchy at the first device; (B) providing a second folder hierarchy at the second device; (C) synchronizing the second folder hierarchy to the first folder hierarchy; (D) retrieving a first plurality of messages stored within the first folder hierarchy and retrieving a second plurality of messages stored within the second folder hierarchy, wherein at least one of the first plurality of messages and at least one of the second plurality of messages are common messages; (E) determining whether the common messages are stored in similar folders within the first and second folder hierarchies; and (F) if the common messages are not stored in similar folders, then synchronizing the common messages so that they are stored in similar folders within the first and second folder hierarchies.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method of synchronizing a first device to a second device, comprising the steps of: (A) providing a first folder hierarchy at the first device; (B) providing a second folder hierarchy at the second device; (C) retrieving a first plurality of messages stored within the first folder hierarchy and retrieving a second plurality of messages stored within the second folder hierarchy; (D) determining whether the first device executed an operation on a message stored in the first folder hierarchy, and if so, then executing the same operation on a corresponding message stored in the second folder hierarchy at the second device.
Still another aspect of the invention provides a system for synchronizing messages between a first device and a second device, comprising: a pair of matching folders, one of the pair of matching folders being located on the first device, the other of the pair of matching folders being located on the second device; a pair of matching messages, one of the pair of matching messages being located on the first device, the other of the pair of matching messages being located on the second device; and means for moving the pair of messages such that if one of the pair of matching messages is moved to one of the pair of matching folders, the other matching message is moved to the other matching folder.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a system and method for triggering the continuous and real-time redirection of user-selected data items from a host system to a mobile data communication device. Other advantages of the present invention include: (1) flexibility in defining the types of user data to redirect, and in defining a preferred list of message types and folder names that are to be redirected or preferred senders whose messages are to be redirected; (2) flexibility in configuring the system to respond to numerous internal, external and networked triggering events; (3) transparent repackaging of the user data items in a variety of ways such that the mobile data communication device appears as though it were the host system; (4) integration with other host system components such as E-mail, TCP/IP, keyboard, screen saver, webpages and certain programs that can either create user data items or be configured to provide trigger points; (5) the ability to operate locally on a user""s desktop system or at a distance via a network server; (6) the ability to store folder hierarchies on the mobile data communications device so that user can organize the information during those periods when information is being redirected to said device; and (7) eliminating the need to organize the information a second time once the user returns to the office to work from their host system.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a software structure and method for managing messages between the mobile data communication device and the host system. The software provides a logical structure for folders and messages that can detect movement of messages between folders on either the mobile data communication device or the host system. This allows the user the flexibility to organize messages into folders on the mobile data communication device without having to replicate the organizational work on the host system, or vice versa. The folder and message software structure further provides the redirector program trigger signals for forwarding messages.
These are just a few of the many advantages of the present invention, as described in more detail below. As will be appreciated, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various respects, all without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiments set forth below are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.